Gin Shita no Naruto
by Artur Paendrag Tanreall
Summary: Naruto will begin his ninja training early with the help of Uchiha Itachi. Genjutsu Naruto, Strong Naruto. Pairing undecided.
1. Prologue

Gin Shita no Naruto- Naruto of the Silver Tongue

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Prologue

Today is October 10, just another day. In the grand scheme of things it is utterly insignificant. It importance lies in whom you ask. The mountain peaks of Kumogakure no Sato are buried under the onset of winter. In Iwagakure no Sato the days are becoming colder as winter approaches the lush valleys. The desert expanse of Sunagakure no Sato remains under a sweltering year-round heat. Kirigakure no Sato is just beginning to rebuild after a devastating monsoon season. All of that pales in comparison to Konohagakure no Sato where the 10th of October has a joyous and painful significance.

That is because of October 10th six years ago a great demon attacked the hidden village of Hi no Kuni. A day rent in the blood and sacrifice of many ninja of Konoha including the illustrious Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze. Through his heroic effort the immortal Kyuubi no Yoko, Lord of the Bijuu, strongest of the Nine was defeated sealed by the Shinigami into a newborn child.

A high price was demanded of any who dared summon the Shinigami, one's own life was taken to finish the seal. Doomed to eternal combat in the stomach of the god itself is a horrible fate. The Yondaime deemed the price insignificant compared to the safety of the village he loved. His final wish was for the village he loved to look upon the child that contained the beast as a hero who protected the people from death with all his being. Sadly this was not the case as humans in general fear what they do not understand.

Out of their fear and ignorance they villagers of Konohagakure no Sato demanded that the demon child be dealt with so the Kyuubi could never again harm their land. In desperation the recently reinstated Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen forbade the mention of the burden the child was made to bear under punishment of death. This was in hopes of the child living a normal childhood. Sadly this was not to be, despite being unable to tell their children of the demon they forbade them from interacting with him. Isolating an innocent child for a crime he did not commit.

Thus began the lonely life of Uzumaki Naruto. For the next six years the people of Konoha studiously ignored the blond haired child, all except the Sandaime. That is until today exactly six years to the day of the Kyuubi attack and in more recent years a festival honoring those who died fighting the Kyuubi, a day of fun and drinking to remember comrades. Perhaps a bit too much drinking as this is where our story begins. A story that would change the face of the Elemental Nations forever.

**Author's Note:**

**There are going to be some changes to the back-story. The biggest change is in reference to the Kyuubi and one specific kunoichi. I hope to make this change believable. The personality will also be changed. Each of these changes has a basis in Japanese folklore for Kitsune if you don't like it **

**I DON'T CARE!!!! This fan fiction is being written because I want to and I will not bow to popular opinion or demands. If you have constructive criticism or a specific request by all means tell me and if I can fit it in I will and be grateful for the input and support.**

**Naruto will be strong. Again my story my rules. It is feasibly possible if you look at people like Itachi or Kakashi. Or even Naruto in the later chapters. Especially with kage bunshin. MAD HACKS. I mean come on with the number of clones he can make he could feasibly gain near perfect chakra control fairly quickly. And with a competent teacher he could reach far higher levels much younger.**

**Updates will be sporadic. My apologies.**

**PLEASE READ AND ENJOY. REVIEWING OPTIONAL BUT APPRECIATED.**

**Artur Paendrag Tanreall**


	2. Brutal Beating

Gin Shita no Naruto

In one of Konoha's large bars a large group of shinobi gathered to remember comrades.

"I propose a toast, to all those who perished against the Kyuubi and especially the great Yondaime," slurred out a Jounin.

"TO THE FALLEN," screamed the assembled shinobi.

Later on in the party 4 chunin slipped out and began to stumble home. As they rounded a corner they came across a small blonde haired boy mumbling to himself.

"Stupid geezer, locking me out of my apartment on my birthday. I'll show him, I'll show everyone. They'll have to respect me when I become Hokage."

"It's the demon brat," one of the chunin whispered. "This is our chance lets teach it a lesson."

He spoke quietly but not quietly enough because as he spoke the "demon brat" bolted.

"Get him!"

He took off as fast as his six year old legs could go. Barely faster than the drunken run of the chunin chasing him.

Twenty minutes later after several unsuccessful attempts to elude pursuit in alleys Naruto finally collapsed.

The four Chunin moved in and began to assault the exhausted child. Naruto curled up and protected his body as best he could. After about a quarter hour of this the drunks got bored and stumble their way out of the alley. Naruto had screamed himself hoarse before falling into blissful unconsciousness.

After they left Naruto just lays there slowly dying in a pool of his own blood. Shortly thereafter a Konoha ninja on patrol silently jumped into the alley. Now many would have just left the boy there so great was their hatred but Uchiha Itachi was different.

As a young child he had idolized the Yondaime Hokage and Uzumaki Kushina even more so than his own father, much to his father's displeasure. He had near religiously obeyed his final wish that Naruto be seen as a hero and had foiled several assassination and kidnapping attempts. He was one of the few that the Sandaime Hokage trusted around the boy and was part of his guard despite only being a chunin.

Now Itachi was not a medic but most ninja know first aid and basic medical jutsu for use in the field. He began healing the worst of Naruto's injuries because he knew the hospital would refuse to help him. A red glow caught his attention.

"What the hell." Needless to say Itachi never swore. So this was monumental.

Naruto's wounds were healing before his eyes. Needless to say Itachi was floored. A healing ability like this would be a great asset to the boy in his shinobi career.

"Let's get you somewhere safe." He scooped the boy in his arms and was surprised at how light he was. Itachi took off over the rooftops toward his private retreat.

When he arrived at the retreat he deposited Naruto gently on the bed and began to make some food.

Naruto began to stir on the couch and Itachi was by his side in an instant.

His eyes fluttered open and seeing someone leaning over him he curled up and began to whimper.

Itachi backed off a few steps, "its okay I'm not going to hurt you." He kept his voice soft and had a small smile on his face.

Naruto gave on last whimper and croaked out, "people have pretended to help before and then hurt me."

Itachi sighed and decided to do something drastic, "I thought as much. I know why the rest of the village hates you, and I also know it is not your fault."

With this Naruto was across the room in a flash and grabbed onto Itachi's leg. "Please, please, please tell me. Not even Ji-Ji will tell me."

Itachi sighed again; he seemed to be doing that a lot today. "I can't tell you." Naruto's face fell. "The reason I can't tell you is that it is an S-Class secret that can't be revealed under punishment of death." He thought for a moment. "I can't tell you but I can show you."

In an instant a blinding smile was back on Naruto's face. "How, how, how."

"Look into my eyes." Naruto looked and got a glimpse of red eyes before everything went dark.

The darkness lifted and Naruto found himself standing in a dark room filled with pipes. Itachi stood nearby. He was franticly looking around, and couldn't contain himself, "where are we."

Without looking at him Itachi responded, "We are in your mind, now come," and he began to walk toward a flickering red light in the distance.

They walked in silence until they came upon a large gate with a tag with the Kanji for seal on it. Itachi halted a fair distance away and just stood there.

Without the sound of their footsteps they could hear a swishing noise and some soft breathing. Gradually a gigantic white fox came into view its tails fanned out behind it. It was probably the single most majestic sight the young boy had ever seen, as well as the single most terrifying. Despite Naruto's performance in the academy he was not an idiot. He saw how much the glares intensified whenever he asked a question or got an answer correct and had decided to hide his intelligence. He counted the tales and could only stutter out a weak, "K..k..k..uubi."

"Hmm, so the ningen is not as dumb as he pretends to be. " The Kyuubi's voice came out as a low growl. He finally notices Itachi. "And who might you be and how did you get in…… Uchiha. What does one of Madara's descendants want with me?"

"Me? I'm merely helping the boy to understand his burden."

Naruto could no longer contain his questions. "Where are we? I thought the Yondaime killed the Kyuubi? How did we get here? What's that seal?"

The Kyuubi gave a low chuckle. "Ah the inquisitiveness of a kit, truly remarkable. Perhaps this would be easier if I was in a smaller form." A large cloud of smoke appeared. When the smoke cleared Itachi's eyes widened in surprise, "It can't be, she died." He began forming hand seals at an astounding rate.

Naruto was surprised by Itachi's hostility, "who is she?"

"She has taken the form of……"

Cliffhanger

Artur Paendrag Tanreall


	3. Reunion

Author's Note:

Sorry about the cliffy I finished the chapter at 4 in the morning.

RogueNya- The hand seals are an instinctive reaction to being suprised. He can't cast any jutsu in Naruto's mind.

Chapter 2

"She has taken the form of Kushina-Sensei, your mother." Itachi's sharingan flared to life

"Kaa-san"

The Kyuubi's eye widened, "Itachi-Kun wait. It's really me."

"Prove it!"

The Kyuubi grinned, "One time in the academy Anko-chan stole some of your Pocky. You retaliated by using a genjutsu to make her dango taste like blood. That's how she got her blood fetish."

"K..k..k..ushina-Sensei. How? Why?" Itachi was near tears. Kushina had been a like a mother to him when his own had been pregnant with Sasuke. "Everyone thought you died in the attack. How could you attack the Leaf?"

Kushina seemed to wilt under the onslaught of questions. "First things first. Naruto-Kun; come to your mother!" Naruto who had collapsed to the floor sprang up and launched himself at Kushina bawling his eyes out. Kushina wrapped her arms around Naruto whispering soothing words into his ears.

Naruto finally managed to choke out a question. "Why did you leave me?"

Kushina squeezed her eyes closed as if in pain.

"Kushina-sensei, are you ok?"

"I'm fine Itachi-kun. Naruto-kun I did not leave you by choice. Let me explain the night of your birth to you." Kushina began her tale. "My story begins many thousands of years ago in the 'Great age of Technology.' The world was full of humans and their technology was nearly boundless. The spirits were fading and the world was coming ever closer to apocalypse. In the end it was inevitable and 95% of all life was wiped out in an instant. The surviving nine great spirits met and decided that the remaining humans could only be allowed to have a set amount of technology. If they gained too much it could lead to another apocalypse. So we found a human who had a large amount of chakra and began to teach him the basics of calling it out. This human is now known as the Sage of Six Paths"

"He took years to master it and eventually returned to humanity to teach about this new source of energy. Not long after he encountered a monster a great beast known only as the Jubi it had been awoken from its slumber by the apocalypse. In a great battle he managed to subdue and seal the Jubi into himself. This was only a temporary solution as when he died the seal would give out and the Jubi would be free once more. He came to us to ask us for help. We eventually decided to split the chakra of the Jubi up into nine pieces and spread them out among the nine great sprits in the hope that we would be able to resist it and prevent the Jubi's rebirth. Sadly we failed. One by one I watched as my brethren fell to madness and rage. In the end even I fell and when I was summoned by that damnable Uchiha to fight the Shodaime I had no choice. But the fight was a godsend. After being defeated I awoke from my rage and began a quest to find out what had happened in the world since my fall."

"I donned a human form and came to Konoha. Posing as a Jounin from the destroyed country of Whirlpool I eventually gained the notice of your father. At first I refused to fall for a human, but love isn't rational and eventually I fell in love with him. We married in secret and shortly afterward he was nominated to succeed the Sandaime Hokage."

"What, Otou-san's the Yondaime?"

"Yes." "As I was saying eventually I got pregnant with you and was reassigned to the academy. That's where I meet Itachi-kun. On the day of your birth I could feel the pull of someone summoning me. I fought it with all of my power and just barely held off until after you were born. I was summoned by the same Uchiha Madara. Weakened I was unable to resist his Mangekyo Sharingan."

"Mangekyo Sharingan? What's that?" Asked Itachi with a frown on his face. "I don't remember a Mangekyo Sharingan."

"That is because the easiest way to obtain it is to kill your best friend," Replied Kushina with a frown. Itachi's eyes nearly popped out of his skull in surprise at this, "Oh."

"Back to the story, Madara forced me to attack Konoha and Minato stopped me by sealing me into our son." "He should have just killed me he would still be alive if he had."

"Kushina-sensei, I thought the Biju couldn't be killed."

"Normally no we couldn't be, but when I married Minato I told him everything and my wedding gift to him was my Hoshi no Tama."

At this Itachi gasped. 'He could have killed you."

"Yes, but he did a noble self-sacrifice and left our son alone."

Naruto who had sat at rapt attention the entire time finally spoke up. "Umm what's a Hoshi no Tama."

Kushina smiled down at him and replied, "My Hoshi no Tama is basically my soul. It's the key to all my power."

"Then where is it now."

"Your father sealed it in here with me."

Naruto gave her a toothy grin. "Well that's good no one else can get it."

"Yes that is good, only you can give up my Hoshi no Tama."

Naruto looked indignant. "I would never…"

"I know."

Over the next half hour Kushina asked Naruto all about his life. She was disappointed that the village had fallen so far in its treatment of him. Eventually Naruto fell asleep in her lap and Kushina looked up at Itachi.

"Itachi-kun will you look after him?"

"Of course Kushina-sensei"

"Thank you Itachi-kun. It's time for you to go, when he wakes up please reassure him that it wasn't a dream."

Itachi just nods in response. His stoic demeanor coming back up, his face impassive.

"And he better not get a damn pocky addiction."

As Itachi watched Naruto slumber a true smile graced his face for the first time in years. Uzumaki Kushina had been more of a mother to him than his own mother. She never saw him as an Uchiha like the rest of the village or as the genius clan heir like the rest of his clan. He could go to her with any problem and she would do her best to help him and give him unbiased advice. He swore that he would do everything in his power to protect her son, even against his own clan, whom he knew were some of the biggest supporters of Naruto's death or exile.

The boy in question began to stir. He sat up and rubbed his sleep encrusted eyes. Looking around he spotted Itachi. When he saw him his eyes welled up into tears. "So it wasn't a dream? My mother didn't abandon me. She loves me," he choked out.

"Yes," replied Itachi in his usual monotone. "After you fell asleep last night I talked with Kushina-sensei about your training."

Naruto's tears dried up instantly. "Oh yeah, training. I'm gonna be the best Hokage ever." He was bouncing off the walls he was so excited. Someone was finally paying attention to him other than ojii-san and Teuchi-san.

"I'm not going to lie to you Naruto. My training is going to be brutal. You will most likely curse my name during our sessions, but you have the potential to be great. You will not see immediate results; it will take years of hard work. The first thing you are going to is unlock your chakra."

"How do I do that Itachi-sensei?"

Itachi frowned, "they should already have taught you how to meditate at the academy. You should be close to unlocking your chakra already."

Naruto's grin slipped, "the instructors at the academy refuse to help me and ignore me if I have questions. Sometimes they send me out of class for 'disrupting the learning environment.'"

A cold glint appeared in Itachi's eye, "I see. To unlock your chakra you must meditate. This will also help in forming a connection with your mother so you can enter your mind on your own as well as speak with her without going into your mindscape."

"Cool!"

"This will take about a week. Sit down and cross your legs. At first you must feel at peace."

One week later Naruto arrived at Itachi's private retreat and began to meditate. About an hour later Itachi who was on guard duty at the Hokage tower felt a massive surge of chakra coming from the direction of his retreat. A soft "Naruto-kun" escaped his lips, unheard by any save the Sandaime Hokage.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage fixed Itachi with a stern gaze. "Itachi-Kun, might I ask how you know Naruto and how this surge of chakra relates to Naruto?"

"I know Naruto because I found him lying in a pool of his own blood about a week ago after a brutal attack by shinobi who were most likely drunk, as for the chakra that was most likely him unlocking his own chakra."

The Sandaime's eyes widened in shock, "He was attacked? Why wasn't I notified? Who were the perpetrators? Wait his chakra? There's no way he has that much chakra he five for god's sake."

Itachi's eyebrow quirked at the Hokage's rapid questions. "I didn't report it because he was healed within minutes of the attack and by the time I finished making sure that he would survive the trail was too cold for me to follow and there are very few trackers in this village that would help him anyway."

The Hokage sighed and slumped in his seat. "I know, so few see him for himself. Every council meeting is an uphill battle to protect him, and what of the chakra surge you don't seem overly concerned."

Itachi couldn't resist a smirk. "That was Naruto unlocking his chakra."

The Hokage nearly choked on his pipe in surprise. "That's impossible; even my own chakra barely rattled the windows when I unlocked it." His shoulders slumped. "This will make it even harder to keep him out of Danzo's ROOT program."

"I have a suggestion Hokage-Sama."

"Oh and what is that?"

"Allow me to train him after the academy is done each day. They don't teach him anything anyway."

"What do mean they don't teach him?"

"I thought you would understand? They teach you to unlock your chakra in the first week."

"Perhaps it is for the best Itachi-kun. Yes you may teach him, but please keep it reasonable for an academy student." As he spoke he got up and moved to the window facing away from Itachi. "I've failed him in so many ways." A lone tear slid down his cheek.

"I will, the first couple of years will be chakra control and stamina building. He's going to need it."

"Dissmissed."


	4. A new instructor

Gin Shita no Naruto Chapter 3

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A/N**

**Ryousanki:** Don't worry the will be some time skips but at first they will be small. Like days or weeks while he gets a jutsu down. Eventually there will be two major time skips pre-series. One will take us to the Uchiha Massacre (which is going to happen two years later than in cannon so that Naruto has more time to spend with Itachi.) The second will take us to the genin exam. I plan to be very detailed about his training prior to the time skip though.

Naruto will seem very mature for his age. That's because he is. He was forced to grow up and is extremely intelligent. He just hides it for his own safety.

The poll will be going on until the preliminaries at the latest. Sorry no harems. I doubt I could do a good job writing it.

I have different ideas for each girl on the list so the girl who wins will noticeably but not drastically change the story.

About my updating, I meant sporadically on a weekly basis. I hope to never go longer than one week without updating.

The chapters are going to remain fairly short. This will allow me to update faster.

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Chapter 3:

With the Hokage's dismissal Itachi dispersed into a flock of crows. The Hokage's was surprised he hadn't realized that Itachi had gotten his hands on a summoning contract. Especially one not native to Konoha. With a grumble he returned to his stack of paperwork that seemed to have grown during the meeting.

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Meanwhile Itachi raced towards his retreat. Despite not showing it in the Hokage's office he was flabbergasted at the sheer amount of chakra Naruto had unleashed. While he expected Naruto to have far more chakra than any other academy student due to Kushina-sensei the true amount was staggering. He recalled the chunin exam when he was promoted. Naruto had about two-thirds of the chakra of one of the Jounin from Kiri, a Hoshigaki Kisame if he remembered correctly and he had the largest chakra reserves of anyone Itachi had ever met, and he was only five. With the right training his raw chakra capacity once it matured could potentially rival one of the biju themselves.

While the idea of training someone with as much raw potential as Naruto had thrilled him he was also irritated. He had spent almost two hours working out a schedule of training for Naruto with his mother and it was now obsolete. Naruto would now need to focus on chakra control almost exclusively for at least the next year if he was to have any chance at performing the bunshin no jutsu. Unless? Was he willing to bend the rules a little? Naruto would be able to use the kage bunshin with ease. This would also speed up the control exercise. 'Yes that would work perfectly.'

He felt elated that he had avoided that little snag but then his face fell as he arrived at his retreat. "What the hell happened here?" It looked as if a bomb had gone off. Every single window was shattered and the door was blown off its hinges. He was really glad he wasn't here but now he would have to repair the place again.

He walked inside. Furniture was overturned; doors were hanging off, but to Itachi's joy his precious pocky cabinet was unharmed. It had paid off reinforcing the cabinet with seals. Naruto was lying on the ground unconscious. With a shrug Itachi walked over opened one eyelid and entered Naruto's mind.

Upon appearing in Naruto's mindscape Itachi was treated to the sight of Kushina squeezing the life out of her son. Naruto looked near tears. When he began sobbing into his mother's side she finally let go. "Naruto, what's wrong?" Kushina looked worried. She hoped she hadn't done anything wrong.

Naruto managed to choke back his sobs, "I…I...was a...a...fraid that you were gonna leave me alone again." He ducked his head back under her arm and resumed sobbing.

Kushina pulled him closer and gently rocked him. She whispered reassurances that she would never leave him until he stopped crying. He slowly looked up at her. "You prowmise?" For all of his maturity and forced growing up he was still a child.

She smiled down at him. "I promise." With that Itachi gave a little cough to alert them to his presence. They both looked up startled. He gave a slight smirk at their reaction. She looked at him quizzically "Itachi-kun when did you get here?"

"Not long. I just came from a metting with the Hokage."

At this Naruto looked up. "Ji-Ji? What did he want?" In response Kushina bopped him on the back of his head.

"None of your business Naruto-kun." Naruto gave a large pout and Itachi couldn't help but chuckle at their antics. "Actually it was concerning you and your education.

Naruto eyes widened and you could see the unmasked anticipation on his face. "Really? Are you going to teach me a super awesome justu?"

"Eventually. First you will be learning the theory as well as other basics a ninja must know. Your Kaa-san and I have come up with a plan that will help you master the basics that are taught at the academy as well as other topics that we believe will be helpful in your ninja career." With that he paused to give Naruto a chance to absorb everything he said.

"But I wanna learn a super cool jutsu." He stuck his bottom lip out in a pout and yelped in pain as his mother whacked him upside the head.

"No whining." She commanded in her no nonsense voice. He quailed under her gaze and she continued the explanation. "You will get up early before the academy everyday and work out. Eventually we will begin you on your own taijutsu form. After the academy you will return home and study up on theory as well as fuuinjutstu. I have a feeling that you will have the same spark for it as your father did."

Naruto perked up at the mention of his father. "Please tell me about otou-san."

His mother gave a musical laugh. "Certainly, your father was brave, kind, was never afraid to put his life on the line for someone he cared about. In a time when shinobi were supposed to bury all emotions and become the perfect weapons he used his emotions to push him to excel. He never gave up and had great charisma. He changed many people's hearts including my own." Naruto was enraptured, he had been told by people before that his parents had abandoned him. He never truly believed him but there was always a nagging doubt in the back of his mind. This put his heart greatly at ease.

"Umm, what's fuuinjutstu?"

"Fuuinjutsu is an art that is nearly infinite in possibility. The seal keeping me in here is the pinnacle of sealing, it's fairly easy to grasp the basics as it is mostly rote memorization but the higher levels are where it gets tricky and you begin to make your own seals. You can do all sorts of things such as sealing items in scrolls or making exploding tags." At the mention of exploding tags Naruto was practically salivating. Kushina continued with a laugh. "The pinnacle of the practice of fuuinjutstu is seals inscribed on your own body, in either ink or blood." She paused for a moment. "This will take years and will require many, many hours of studying."

Naruto grinned, "that's ok I can remember anything I see."

At this Itachi arched an eyebrow. "An eidetic memory will make things considerably easier. Especially chakra control"

"Huh"

Chakra control is based on memorizing how much chakra to use. While it won't be instantaneous a perfect memory will allow you to retain your chakra control much easier. And speaking of chakra control starting tomorrow I will begin teaching you a jutsu. It is called shadow clone jutsu. It is a Jounin ranked jutsu and I don't expect you to get it for a few months, but when you do it will help your training by leaps and bounds."

By this point Naruto was jumping around in joy screaming "I get a jutsu," at the top of his lungs.

This time it was Itachi who hit him on the head. "First lesson never allow your emotions to get the best of you. I have no doubt that you will be able to harness you emotions for a greater power but you can never allow your emotions to get the better of you. That will get you killed."

"Hai Itachi-sensei."

"Kushina-sensei I do have one question though. If you are a kitsune spirit how is Naruto fully human."

Kushina smiled. "When a kitsune takes the form of a human they in essence become human. At least as far as reproduction is concerned. Naruto is fully human but because I still retained my kitsune and demonic powers some gifts passed to Naruto."

Naruto's eye shone with hearts. "What gifts?"

Both Kushina and Itachi chuckled at that. "Well Naruto-kun, not all of them have developed yet but it is more than likely you will inherit my ability with both shape shifting and genjutsu but these will manifest as you grow older."

Itachi gave a brief nod in response. "Now all we have left to discuss is your sleeping arrangements."

Naruto pouted, "Can't I stay with you?"

Itachi shook his head. "This is only a retreat for me I rarely stay here and my clan would not welcome you. I also cannot allow you to go back to your apartment. Therefore me and your mother decided that you will be moving into your family home today. It has much better security. I have already moved everything salvageable from your apartment to your home."

"Thanks Itachi-sensei."

"I'll meet you outside Naruto and we can go to your home from there."


	5. Training

Gin Shita no Naruto Chapter 4

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A/N

Thank you all for your reviews. I will try to make it more descriptive. This is my first story ever and your tips and pointers are much appreciated. Sorry about the wait my life has been really hectic lately.

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Chapter 4

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Naruto slowly opened his eyes and saw Itachi looking down at him. Breaking out into a giant grin he jumped up and rushed towards the door.

Repressing a sigh Itachi at Naruto's enthusiasm he spoke. "Naruto-kun, you don't even know where we are going."

Stumbling to a stop Naruto turned around with a sheepish grin on his face. "Oh yeah, I was so excited I forgot." At this Itachi cracked a slight smile. Unable to keep still he tugged on Itachi's sleeve. "Come on let's go, let's go!" With a soft nod Itachi swept out of the apartment with Naruto right on his heels. Not bothering to say anything he took to the roofs. He sped along the rooftops still amazed that Naruto was able to match his speed even if he wasn't going all out. The boy was everything he could dream for in an apprentice. His stamina and chakra capacity were unrivaled in Konoha and possibly even in the elemental nations. From what he could find out he was determined to excel despite the hardships he had endured and meeting his mother had only pushed him to redouble his efforts. Unlike most children he was able to accept criticism as long as one pointed out how he could improve. He would work to correct his mistake. He would teach him everything he could and with the gifts Kushina-sensei mentioned he would make him a master of deception.

As they moved through Konoha they gradually began to pass bigger and more lavish houses. Eventually they ended up in the section that had been set aside for the clans. It had been an enticement from the Shodaime Hokage to draw in clans and it had worked. The Uchiha district and the Hyuuga clan house were in this sector along with the Inuzuka, Aburame, and Nara. There were still empty areas that would remain so until a new clan either immigrated to Konoha or a family was granted clan status.

It was to one of these 'empty lots' that Itachi led Naruto. The lot was heavily wooded and was surrounded by a thick stone wall over 15 feet tall. They approached a set of ornate yet strangely plain gates. Itachi turned towards Naruto who was slightly out of breath from the excursion but otherwise unaffected. He held out a kunai. "Prick your finger on the kunai and place a drop of blood on the seal in the center of the gates."

Naruto looked like he wanted to protest but a stern look from Itachi stopped him. He grabbed the kunai and pricked his finger a bit harder than was strictly necessary. A few drops of blood bubbled out and he wiped his finger on the seal. For a few seconds nothing happened before a soft grinding noise could be heard. The front of the gate looked like it was melting as the plain seal gave way to an ornate seal and the Kanji for Namikaze inlaid in gold.

Itachi's voice broke through Naruto's awed musings. "Welcome Naruto-kun to the Namikaze clan house. This was built buy your parents and was sealed upon your father's death." He pushed open the gate and gestured for Naruto to go in. As the gate closed the air seemed to shimmer and the surroundings changed completely. Whereas before there had been an empty wooded lot now there was an immaculate tree lined path leading towards a large two story house. The house was an artistic masterpiece. It was done completely in white marble and had wide arched ceilings and large rooms. However, you could tell that house had not been lived in for some time. The roofing would need to be redone as there were definite patches of damage from storms and rain. Inside would also need to be cleaned. The house was covered by years of dust and grime and the air was extremely musty. Naruto created about 20 kage bunshin and had them begin to clean and repair what they could.

Naruto eagerly began exploring the house and spent the next hour just going from room to room. He eventually made his way into the houses master bedroom. The master bedroom was large but not overly so. He opened the closets and found his father's clothes. Gently reaching out he pulled out his father's cloak reverently he laid it out on the bed. At this point his mother could no longer keep silent. _"Go ahead Naruto-kun try it on."_

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin at hearing his mother speaking in his head. "_Kaa-san how can you talk to me?"_

He heard a sheepish laugh. "_To be honest I forgot to tell you. I finally adjusted the seal enough to be able to talk to you. Now go ahead that cloak was my wedding gift to your father and is unique. It was created by the sage of six paths and will adjust to you the first time you put it on."_

With that Naruto eagerly pulled on the cloak. As soon as it was completely on the cloak began to shift. It shrunk to fit him and the material changed entirely. Before it was a white cloak with red flames dancing across the bottom and was made of near indestructible silk. Now the cloak was no single color as the color seemed to shift as he moved. It was cut as a hooded Haori and came down to about his knees. (1) Naruto heard his mother give a soft gasp. "_What is it Kaa-san?"_

"_That is Fancloth. (2) It is a material that distorts light. It will allow you to fade into the background in most situations. The process of making it was lost almost 500 years ago and it is exceedingly rare. It is quite possible that the only material left besides this cloak is in one of the Biju's hoards."_

"_Hoards?"_

"_Yes the Biju are without exception collectors. We all have our own hoards of whatever we liked to collect. Most just collected gold, jewels, powerful artifacts and the like but I liked to collect whatever I could. I have many objects from throughout time. I took the time to collect anything that caught my fancy and fancloth seem to fit with the trickery of a kitsune so I obtained some. Eventually I will show you the location and everything in it will be yours to use."_

"_Thanks Kaa-san. Is there anything I missed in the house?"_

"_No, just the training ground."_

At this Naruto perked up. "_Can I? Please?"_

"_Yes it is time to begin your training. No go out back and there will be a large field that is where we will begin."_

Naruto met Itachi out behind the house. "Now Naruto-kun we will begin with stretches and a warm up jog. After that I will begin with the shadow clone jutsu. I know I said tomorrow but we have some extra time today. So began Naruto's training. He managed to master the Kage Bunshin in less than a week. After he mastered it his training really sped up. For the next two years he trained daily with over 50 shadow clones. His control shot through the roof and his already enormous chakra reserves grew even larger. By the end of the two years he had near perfect chakra control and a chakra level approaching the Biju and was ready to begin the next step of his training.

For six months Naruto had been training in the basics of genjutsu and he had begun creating his own style. He was adept at slightly altering the perception of his body. He could make his arms appear longer and shorter in order to throw off his opponents. He could also use his voice in order to implant suggestions. Not to mistake it for controlling a person's mind. Naruto could alter his voice using chakra to make suggestions in someone's subconscious. He could make someone do something that they were already considering doing. For instance if a guard was getting tired he could make him fall asleep or if he was inattentive Naruto could move by him without notice. This was easier if the person was of a weak mind.

Then came the day when everything changed forever.

* * *

A/N:

A Haori is what the captains in Bleach wear. Naruto's look like a hooded version of Aizen's Haori.

Fancloth is from the Wheel of Time series. It is commonly known as a warder's cloak. It distorts light so that the wearer blends into the background.


End file.
